Joshua Hayes was puzzled, not because he didn't know that Lu Yanhe was very popular now. Even though he was an Asian actor and not an Asian who grew up in the United States, he was also liked by many American , a group of such actors emerge in Hollywood every year, and Hollywood is the place where there is no shortage of fresh blood.
People from all over the world are flocking to this place.
Top agents like Darren might be optimistic about Lu Yanhe, but when it comes to everyone wanting to fight for him——
why?
Darren smiled mysteriously and said, "Hollywood is arrogant, but the more arrogant a person is, the more they care about what others think of them. Lu Yanhe controls a huge critics' power behind him. Just like the nomination you received this year, we spent millions of dollars on public relations. What is the public relations for? Isn't it to do everything possible to let these influential critics talk about your performance?"
People often equate Hollywood's Oscars PR with domestic PR. In fact, their PR is actually a kind of lobbying. First, they want many people who may not have seen the movie to watch it (they may even send them the projector directly), and second, they constantly promote and emphasize the goodness of the movie. It has very strict and detailed prohibitions to prevent bribery - at least in name, but what happens behind the scenes is actually the same in every forest.
What Darren is talking about is public relations in name only.
Joshua was shocked and asked, "He looks only a few years older than me, how can he have such great power?"
"Because he is an actor promoted by international film festivals, he also has the support of the media and Chinese community behind him." Darren said, "You should be very clear that the Oscars are now being squeezed by people from these three factions, and more and more films are coming from international film festivals, the media and Asian forces."
Joshua curled his lips in dissatisfaction.
"Joshua, if you want to get a second Oscar nomination before you turn 30, you should never make that expression again," Darren said.
"Do I need to depend on his opinion if I want to get a second Oscar nomination before I turn 30?" Joshua's tone became a little sharp, the kind of sharpness that only teenagers have.
Darren said: "If you have his support, I promise you, your hope will be much greater."
"Then why didn't he get a nomination this year? When The Mist was released, didn't some people say he deserved a nomination?"
Darren said: "The Mist was released too late and did not participate in the awards season in the early stage. Of course, the most important thing is that this is a commercial horror movie, although it was shot in a very personal style. You should ask yourself, how come an actor who came out of a commercial horror movie suddenly received an invitation from the Oscars to be an award presenter? This signal means more than whether he is nominated this time."
"Didn't he get the award through his own PR manager?"
"As far as I know, he doesn't have any cooperating agents or public relations managers in Europe and the United States so far." Darren's eyes were filled with a determined and warm light. "Do you understand now why I said that everyone wants to fight for him?"
Joshua's face was filled with disbelief.
"In fact, he also tried to go through the awards season with another movie before. He had an independent movie called Glory Road. That time, he got nominated for many awards completely relying on the momentum and praise from the critics. Compared with the public relations resources invested by other competitors, his investment is not worth mentioning." Darren said confidently, "Joshua, you were able to get an Oscar nomination at the age of 21. This is something you should be proud of for the rest of your life, but if you want to reach new heights, don't forget what I said."
-
“I know relatively little about Chinese films.”
Here, during the conversation with Olivia, Olivia was surprisingly genuine and didn't pretend to be a boaster.
Lu Yanhe: "I hope I'll have the opportunity to introduce Chinese films to you in the future."
Olivia nodded and added, "Actually, I'm going to see your movie soon."
She smiled at Lu Yanhe and blinked meaningfully.
Lu Yanhe was a little confused, "Hmm?"
Olivia said: "At the Jose-La Mancha Film Festival in May this year, if there are no other conflicts, I will be a judge in the main competition unit. They have told me that your work is among the films shortlisted for the main competition unit this year."
"Oh?!" Lu Yanhe showed a surprised expression, "I haven't received the official notice yet."
Olivia: “Will you go to Jose?”
"Will do."
"Then we'll meet in Jose then," said Olivia.
Lu Yanhe: "Okay."
He added: "I wish you win the prize tonight."
"Thank you."
-
Olivia Turman is a strong contender for this year's Best Actress. In this year's competition, she and Jane Coster were evenly matched.
Of the two actresses, Lu Yanhe appreciates Olivia Turman more.
It was not because of anything else, he didn't know much about Jane Coster, but he had seen "Inspector Grace" starring Olivia Turman, a British drama with three seasons. At that time, Lu Yanhe was amazed by Olivia Turman's performance, and her performance in the drama reminded Lu Yanhe of an actress he liked very much, Yan Ni.
They all have a solid acting foundation, but they do not follow stereotypes and have their own style and rhythm. They are able to retain their own style while playing the role to perfection.
When you watch her acting, you will only feel two words: skill.
Perfect performance skills.
-
In the corridor from backstage to the live scene, Lu Yanhe met Jane Coster.
He took the initiative to say hello.
Jane Coster looked at him with a smile, her eyes paused slightly, then she smiled and greeted him, but immediately started chatting and laughing with the person next to her.
With just one glance, she made Lu Yanhe realize that she was deliberately alienating him. Although he didn't know the reason, Lu Yanhe just adjusted himself a little and put the matter behind him.
He sits in the sixth row.
Sitting next to him was Scott Harris, CEO of D19 Films.
This was the first time the two of them met tonight.
"Hi, Lu, long time no see." Scott Harris's face was full of joy when he saw Lu Yanhe, even though Lu Yanhe's team had just received a painful sequel contract from him.
When Lu Yanhe saw him, he laughed, "Scott, have you read the script I gave you? It's been almost a month. If you are not interested, give me a definite answer. I still need to contact someone else."
He was talking about the script he had written earlier, "Buried Alive."
Scott Harris immediately said, "Of course we are interested, but your request is a little special and we need to discuss it. If you agree to sell the script directly to us, we can sign the contract tomorrow."
Lu Yanhe: "If we just want to make a movie, I can make it by myself, and the cost is very low. Scott, you know why I want to work with you."
Scott Harris said: "Lu, we all know that if you shoot this movie yourself and if you let us D19 shoot it, the situation will be completely different."
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't come to you for cooperation."
The two were talking when a familiar voice sounded behind Lu Yanhe.
“Yanhe!”
Lu Yanhe looked back in surprise, not expecting to meet Hua Ruzhen here.
"Sister!" Lu Yanhe stood up excitedly.
Hua Ruzhen was in the row behind him, wearing a formal dress, her eyes sparkling.
"So you are here too. Why didn't you tell me in advance?" Lu Yanhe asked in surprise.
Hua Ruzhen said: "I also decided to come at the last minute."
She held Lu Yanhe's hand, enthusiastically saying, "I've been looking for you just now."
Lu Yanhe explained: "I was backstage the whole time."
Hua Ruzhen nodded.
"Will you go to the party held by Vanity Fair after the award ceremony?" Hua Ruzhen said, "If you go, there are a few people I want to introduce to you."
Lu Yanhe nodded and said yes.
At this moment, he caught a glimpse of another familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.
"Sister Yuqian." Lu Yanhe saw Jiang Yuqian, who was wearing gorgeous clothes and chatting with the people around her. Lu Yanhe asked Hua Ruzhen, "Sister, do you know Jiang Yuqian?"
"Oh, we've met twice." Hua Ruzhen followed Lu Yanhe's gaze and asked, "Do you have a good relationship with her?"
"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded, "She was the one who recommended me to the director for my first play."
"Oh, yes, Squid Game is a play you wrote." Hua Ruzhen laughed, "Because you didn't act in this play, I always tend to forget this."
At this time, Lu Yanhe saw Jiang Yuqian's gaze and looked over at him.
She saw him too.
Lu Yanhe waved at her.
Jiang Yuqian said something to the person next to her and came over with her skirt lifted.
Lu Yanhe introduced Jiang Yuqian to Hua Ruzhen and Scott Harris.
Although Jiang Yuqian has been very popular in the past six months, Scott Harris doesn't know her.
I only knew who she was after I learned that she starred in "Squidward Powers".
Of course, Scott Harris hasn't watched "Squidward!", but the show is quite popular, so he knows about it.
When Lu Yanhe introduced Jiang Yuqian, he specifically mentioned that she was nominated for the Best Actress at this year's Golden Globe Awards.
As expected, Scott Harris didn't know. He even went to the Golden Globe Awards ceremony. However, there were too many people receiving awards that night. Not only were they divided into movies and TV series, but the TV series were also divided into several categories. If you haven't really watched all these popular dramas, who can remember so many people in one night?
It was only at this moment that Lu Yanhe truly felt why everyone was so keen on attending parties, gatherings and such activities.
Because here you can meet the most people who can help your career.
Come to the Oscars ceremony once, and others will see you in person. If there are any roles in the future that require an image like yours, you will definitely have an advantage over those selected based on your resume and audition videos.
Jiang Yuqian has been flying overseas for the past six months, visiting various places of fame and fortune, all just to show off her face.
-
However, no one expected that at this year's Oscars, the host's opening performance would include such an expression:
"When I hosted the Oscars 10 years ago, there weren't as many yellow-skinned and black-haired people in the audience as there are now. Since when did we black people have to not only fight for our rights from white people, but also protect our survival resources that were originally eroded from the hands of the yellow people?"
Lu Yanhe almost thought he had heard it wrong and showed an expression of disbelief.
There were more than just a few yellow people at the scene.
Even though this was just a rap with music, it still caused an uproar at the scene.
Lu Yanhe heard Scott Harris sigh, shook his head, and said, "Poor Harvey."
Harvey's opening performance was spent nearly half of his time rapping in an angry manner. The atmosphere was very lively, but it also caused some uproar and surprise reactions. He even listed the beautiful bodies of the nominated actresses in a segment later, which was just a little bit short of being a blatant dirty joke.
Jane Coster, who was mentioned, immediately turned her face black and gave him the middle finger.
This was also captured by the live camera.
Lu Yanhe didn't even have to think about it, knowing that this opening performance would definitely cause great controversy online.
He was also in a very unhappy mood at this moment.
Such a person was chosen to be the host of the Oscars - even though he was extremely famous, yes, Harvey was one of the most famous hosts in the United States.
-
The awards presented by Lu Yanhe were presented in the first half.
So, he was soon called away to go backstage to prepare.
Backstage, he met another award presenter who was about to appear on stage, Spanish actress Juliata Pedraza.
"Hi, I'm Julieta." This young and beautiful actress has a style that is different from most European and American actresses. There is a gentle and affectionate light in her eyes.
She is also the most popular Spanish actress in Hollywood in recent years. "Hello, I'm Lu Yanhe."
"I know you," Julieta said with a smile, "I'm glad to meet you. I've always wanted to meet you since I saw Late Spring."
"Thank you."
"What Harvey said on the stage just now was too much for you," Julieta said seriously. "He is really a nasty guy, isn't he?"
"He will pay the price for what he said." Lu Yanhe said, "In this era, no matter how famous you are, you have to control your mouth and not say anything nonsense."
Julieta didn't seem to expect Lu Yanhe to say such tough words.
She looked at Lu Yanhe in surprise and nodded.
"Of course, I believe that after the awards ceremony, there will be many people protesting and expressing dissatisfaction with the organizing committee. He must apologize for his performance today."
-
When Lu Yanhe walked up to the podium accompanied by music, he stood in front of the microphone and looked at everyone in the audience with a smile on his face.
"I hope that my presence here is not because I am stealing someone's opportunity." Lu Yanhe said this with a smile in standard American accent.
He is handsome and knows how to smile in a way that does not make others feel offensive, but rather shows kindness and humor.
So, when he said this in a light-hearted, joking tone, everyone knew that he was responding to Harvey's discriminatory remarks against Asians in his opening performance, and they all laughed.
"Fortunately, I'm not here to receive the award, I'm here to present the award, which clears me of such suspicion." After everyone stopped laughing, Lu Yanhe said one more sentence, which once again caused the audience to burst into laughter.
Lu Yanhe spread his hands, expressing his helplessness. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he said with a look of sudden enlightenment, "Oh, so this is why there is no yellow person in the nomination list for this year's performance award, right?"
He looked at the people below the stage with a curious and humble expression.
The jokes he made this time didn't cause as much laughter as the previous two times, which was more or less sensitive.
Lu Yanhe smiled and waved his hands, "Please, everyone, don't be so serious, I'm just joking. I know that, just like everyone here tonight, movies are diverse. They tell different stories from different countries, different cultural backgrounds, and different skin colors. They can express rich and colorful themes. And good costume design can help actors become more like that role. For an excellent movie, excellent costume art is also indispensable. The films and designers nominated for this year's Oscar for Best Costume Art are-"
The VCR starts playing.
Lu Yanhe turned around and watched the video that he had prepared in advance.
At this moment, he was calm and composed, not at all nervous, uneasy or scared because of the few words he just said.
He saw Harvey on the side of the stage.
His face was stern and he looked at him unkindly.
Lu Yanhe simply ignored him and waited for the VCR to finish before opening the envelope.
"The winner of this year's Oscar for Best Costume Art is——"
“Louis Vuitton, The Golden Compass!”
The audience burst into applause and cheers.
Lu Yanhe handed the trophy to him, congratulated him, and stepped aside to make room for him.
Louis Vuitton nodded to him, he was also black.
He said excitedly: "Thank you, Yan He, I'm glad to see you here. I'm your fan and hope we can work together in the future."
Lu Yanhe smiled with some surprise, nodded to him, and then signaled to him to give his acceptance speech.
He looked at Louis Vuitton with admiration, and at this moment, there was more or less an element of performance.
He will show greater kindness to those who are full of kindness.
After Louis Vuitton finished his acceptance speech and said thank you three times, Lu Yanhe walked off the stage with him.
Louis Vuitton is still in a state of excitement and excitement.
"That's great, congratulations." Lu Yanhe said to him.
Louis Weldon whispered to Lu Yanhe: "Among the nominees for Best Actor this year, I voted for you."
Lu Yanhe showed a surprised expression. He never expected Louis Vuitton to say that.
"I'm serious. I hope we can work together in the future." Louis Weldon said to Lu Yanhe with a smile, "I like your performance very much."
Lu Yanhe said thank you, and after stepping down, he exchanged contact information with him.
-
Chen Ziyan was sitting in the audience, her cell phone still ringing in her hand.
Needless to say, Lu Yanhe's speech during the award ceremony just now was bound to be a hit.
A few sharp jokes -
Everyone laughed a lot, but it was indeed a bit awkward when the awkward silence spread.
Of course, no matter what, what Lu Yanhe said was very satisfying.
Especially as an Asian who attended this year's Oscars and heard Harvey say this on the spot, his words will definitely receive support from Asians.
If it weren't for the sentence "So this is why there is no yellow person in the nomination list for this year's acting awards", his speech would definitely have received support from most Europeans and Americans - this sentence undoubtedly sounded like some kind of sarcasm, even though Lu Yanhe might not have meant it that way when he said it.
After the awards were given out one by one, the award ceremony came to an end.
When Olivia won this year's Best Actress award, Lu Yanhe stood up and applauded her.
Many people stood up.
This actress with superb acting skills had already been a well-known actress before this and had won the respect of many people in Hollywood.
After the award ceremony, Chen Ziyan and Jiang Yuqian came to his side.
"You are very bold." Chen Ziyan whispered to Lu Yanhe, "You have now occupied the hot search on various platforms of the Internet. Your speech is very popular on the Internet, not to mention in China. I guess many people will come to talk to you about this matter later."
Lu Yanhe: "Just say it, I didn't say anything wrong, I have already said it in a very restrained manner."
"I know." Chen Ziyan nodded. "I don't mean to blame you for doing something wrong. I'm just reminding you that you will have a lot of trouble in the future."
Jiang Yuqian patted Lu Yanhe on the shoulder and said, "I express my respect to you."
Lu Yanhe smiled.
"Let's go, we need to rest for a while. There will be a Vanity Fair party later." Chen Ziyan asked, "Yuqian, will you attend?"
Jiang Yuqian nodded, "Yes."
She said, "I also have to change my dress and look. I have to go. See you later."
"Ah."
Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan walked out together.
He noticed that many people passing by him cast doubtful, curious and inquiring glances at him.
There is no doubt that what he said on the stage just now made everyone remember him.
There is also no doubt that this matter has both advantages and disadvantages.
Fortunately, this is not Lu Yanhe’s base camp, so he doesn’t need to worry about ruining his own business.
-
Just as Chen Ziyan reminded him, when Lu Yanhe left the venue and appeared outside, many media reporters and some fans who had been waiting outside rushed up to him, surrounded him and asked him questions.
"Lu, what you said at the Oscars just now, are you accusing the Oscars of discriminating against Asians?"
"Lu, are you publicly expressing your dissatisfaction with Oscar?"
"The Oscars invited you to be the award presenter, but you said something like this in a global live broadcast. Are you worried that people will think you are a sharp and arrogant person?"
"Can you talk about what you said?"
……
Lu Yanhe knew that he couldn't just walk away at this time, as it would make him look guilty, or it would leave other impressions that would be over-interpreted.
He smiled very seriously and said, "I respect the Oscars very much. It is a very influential award in the world. As for what you said, I don't think so. The few words I said on the stage were not directed at the Oscars, but at tonight's host Harvey. He openly said hurtful words to us Asians on such an influential stage. I just fought back a few times. Don't over-interpret it."
"As for my statement that there were no Asian nominees in the acting category at the Oscars tonight, that was indeed inappropriate. I apologize first. In the current context, this statement will obviously be misunderstood by many people as an accusation - in fact, I was just making fun of Harvey's statement that we competed for survival resources. I want to say that at least at this awards ceremony tonight, we Asians did not compete. Moreover, I know very well that the Oscars invited me to present the awards because they are trying to expand its scope. It has been working hard to include the best filmmakers in the world, which is something I respect very much."
Lu Yanhe has basically explained this matter in a very decent way.
"So do you want to win an Oscar in the future?"
"Of course I do." Lu Yanhe admitted bluntly, "I want to win all the valuable film awards in this world, but I must also say that I don't think Asians winning Oscars are competing for other people's survival resources. On the contrary, we Asians have dreams and ambitions for the Oscars. We want to compete for this award, which gives the Oscars greater value. I especially want to ask Harvey, if we Asians don't care about the Oscars in the future, will the Oscars be more valuable than they are now, or will they be much less valuable?"
Lu Yanhe's answer shocked the media.
Every year, countless actors and stars come and go from the Oscars, but there are only a handful of actors like Lu Yanhe who dare to talk directly about the value of the Oscars.
In Europe and the United States, those who dare to show disdain for the Oscars are generally big names who no longer need the Oscars to prove themselves.
Of course, Lu Yanhe's words did not mean he was dismissive of the Oscars.
He talked about wanting to win an award and said that the Oscar was his dream.
But the tone he used when he said this was completely different from those actors who dream of winning an Oscar.
He gives people the feeling that the Oscar is actually just an award he wants to win, nothing more.
-
"It's really cool, and it's so cool that I can't say anything."
In China, many viewers who watched the live broadcast of this year's Academy Awards ceremony have already joined the noisy discussion on social media.
The Oscars are the biggest awards for European and American (especially American and British) films. As we all know, Asians and Asian films are just a decoration of this award. It's just that Hollywood, which is closely related to it, is the world's largest film industry center, so it has a great influence.
This time, Lu Yanhe attended and went on stage alone to present the awards. Because of Lu Yanhe's influence, everyone's attention to this year's Oscars was unprecedentedly high.
After all, Chinese actors rarely appear on the Oscar stage - scarcity makes things valuable, not to mention that this thing itself is their "mascot".
in the country, many people actually have contradictory attitudes towards the Oscars.
On the one hand, everyone knows that the Oscars are a local award, not so fair, and not so much for Asians, but on the other hand, their films are great, and their influence is greater than domestic films. This contradictory mentality makes many people disdain the Oscars on the one hand, but on the other hand, they cannot really disdain it.
Just like many people, on the one hand, would like to see Lu Yanhe become a big hit with the movie "The Mist" and be invited to attend the Oscars to present awards - this makes them feel honored, but on the other hand, they really don't want to see their country's top actors suddenly become inferior or become a supporting role when they go to the Oscars.
Lu Yanhe's performance tonight was like a reassurance pill, suddenly calming everyone's hearts.
Especially the few interviews he gave later.
He neither denied his ambition for an Oscar, but in fact he always put his confidence and self-confidence as an actor first, without the obsession that not winning an Oscar would be a regret in his life.
"It's really not easy for a Yan He to emerge in our Chinese film and television industry." Even Wang Zhong sighed, "Maybe someone will achieve greater success than him in the future, but it's hard for someone like him to develop such a character and confidence at such a young age on the world's top stage."
Lu Yanhe's magnanimity is a result of the time and the situation. (End of this chapter)
